Writing for a living
By
Major V K Singh
It was the twenty-sixth of the month. We were having tea
on the verandah. "The ayah wants five rupees. She is having a Satyanarayan
ki katha in her house" said my wife.
"Hmm"
"What Hmm"?
"I only said Hmm".
"What is that supposed to mean?".
"OK. Give her five rupees"
"But I don't have any money".
"Now look, I gave
you a tenner only this morning".
"You are drinking it
now. The tea had finished, so I sent the boot-boy to get some from the canteen.
And also some sugar. Now I've got only two rupees and some paise left".
"OK, take it from my purse".
She came out after a minute.
"There is only an eight anna bit left in your
purse".
"That solves the problem. No fiver".
"Very
simple".
"Elementary".
"You're not funny".
"I wasn't trying to be".
"Oh God. I don't know why I married an Army
officer. Now I'll have to borrow again from Pinky's piggy bank".
"She'll scalp you".
"I know. The poor thing was hysterical when she
found it empty last time. Honestly, I just don't know what to do. And I wanted
to see that picture in Dreamland tomorrow".
There was silence for a full minute. That chap who
said it was like gold was talking sense, I'll say.
"Listen, didn't you get twenty rupees last
month from the Signalman?".
"Yes".
She went inside, and returned with a pen and a pad.
“Write".
"Write?"
"Yes, write".
"Write what?".
"Write anything. Just write. And from now on,
you're going to write every month".
"But the Signalman comes out only once in three
months".
"Never mind. We'll make those twenty rupees go
for three months. In any case, we run short of just six or seven rupees every
month".
"But what am I going to write?”
"Write anything. They're so bored up for
contributions, they'll publish anything".
"But you can't write just anything. I need time
to think".
"Listen, mister, today is the twenty-sixth. And
you are supposed to send in contributions a month in advance. That leaves just
few days for the deadline for the next issue, and there's no time to think. Get
it?”
"Yes. Now beat it".
And that is how you came about reading this. I hope
some other people get the idea too, and start writing. At least, I hope the
gentlemen in the Third Pay Commission get the idea.
(Published
in The Signalman, Apr 1973)
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